Pune’s BRTS plan takes a hit as PMC focuses on Metro

Since most of the existing and proposed BRTS routes are overlapping to the Metro corridors, the PMC is thinking of changing the plan and converting them into feeder service.

puneUpdated: Oct 03, 2017 23:47 IST

Abhay Khairnar Hindustan Times, Pune

Ahmednagar road BRTS is one of the routes to be scrapped for the sake of the Metro.(Rahul Raut/HT PHOTO)

Even as Pune’s Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) has acquired a bad reputation on account of inordinate delays and poor implementation, a large number of BRTS routes will now have to be re-drawn and planned from scratch once again as they have been found to be clashing with the routes proposed for the Pune Metro.

Confirming this, Pune municipal commissioner Kunal Kumar said, while the Ahmednagar BRTS would be kept operational till the Metro begins its run three years from now, the proposed BRTS routes on Karve road ( between Khanduji Baba chowk to Warje), JM road, Ganesh Khind road (between Shivajinagar to University of Pune) and Baner road from University of Pune to Green Park would have to be scrapped.

Since most of the existing and proposed BRTS routes are overlapping to the Metro corridors, the PMC is thinking of changing the plan and converting them into feeder service.

Municipal commissioner Kunal Kumar told Hindustan Times that it is true that the BRTS and Metro corridors are overlapping each other. He said ideally bus transport and other transport should be feeder for the Metro rail.

Once the Metro work starts, PMC would need to demolish the portion where Maha Metro work begins and leave the rest operational, Kumar added.

The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) also established the BRTS infrastructure on Old Mumbai highway where Metro work is also going on. Though the lanes for Metro and BRTS are different, both routes are overlapping each other.